Lifelong love of tennis fuels Lizelle Landino’s coaching success

In celebration of National Coach Appreciation Month taking place this October, USTA Iowa is highlighting Lizelle Landino.

Growing up in South Africa, Lizelle Landino was 6 years old when she first started playing tennis with her father. Even though he has since passed away, Landino will always remember his influence on the sport she loves.

“He advocated for me to play tennis all over the world,” she said. “Forever I will be grateful for this opportunity.”

Landino played NCAA Division-I tennis at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. After college, she went to New York City and worked for the Arthur Ashe Foundation and the New York Junior Tennis League.

“I really enjoyed working with the inner-city kids and being around such a great organization, which inspired me greatly to coach,” she said.

Landino is currently the player development professional at Dubuque Golf & Country Club in eastern Iowa. She has been coaching for around 10 years, and though she teaches individuals of all ages, she loves coaching junior players.

She coaches Junior Team Tennis (JTT) and travels across USTA Iowa with her players to allow them to compete throughout the district.

“Lizelle is by far one of the toughest, no-nonsense coaches I have had in my life,” said Isabell Tobin, one of her students. “It’s intense to work so hard, but the contagious motivation is what makes this a one-of-a-kind place to be in Iowa.”

Landino was selected for the USTA Iowa award of Outstanding Contributor to Youth Tennis Programs in 2024.

“I think the future of tennis for Iowa is so great,” Landino said. “I will continue to focus on growing opportunities to expose our juniors to more tennis opportunities.”

Check out additional Coach Appreciation Month feature stories from across USTA Missouri Valley by clicking here. Learn more about USTA Coaching by clicking here.